It had been four years since Andrew Perloff left home with The Dan Patrick Show. In December 2021, Perloff, known to the radio audience as “McLovin,” bid adieu after joining the program in 2007. Following his departure, Perloff would test the waters away from the foundation he built with the Dan Patrick program in Milford, Connecticut.
Over the last four years, Perloff served alongside Maggie Gray at the Infinity Sports Network until late last year, when the network announced it would merge with the BetMGM Network to form Westwood One Sports. Perloff departed in search of his next steps, knowing his natural place still resided at home.
“There’s going to be a narrative that Dan Patrick saved my career. I want to make one thing clear. That is absolutely true,” says Perloff. “Shame? The exact opposite is what I feel. Dan’s the idiot who put me on the air in the first place… It goes beyond a job, but it meant a lot personally to be welcomed back home.”
A Fresh Start In Familiar Territory
Beginning today, Perloff rejoins The Dan Patrick Show team, but in a new capacity. He will serve as a co-host of a new weekday program that follows the sports Emmy-nominated radio program. Alongside Dan Patrick Show producer Paul Pabst, Perloff will host Not So Fast. The show plans to serve as an extension of the Patrick program while also building itself as a standalone show separate from its radio counterpart.
“When I left The Dan Patrick Show, Paul and I would still talk all the time. I stayed tight with everyone here, so coming back did feel like coming back home,” explained Perloff.
Pabst, who has been part of The Dan Patrick Show since its inception, says the chemistry the two built over the years provides an established model for a new project. The two previously hosted a radio show and podcast titled The Leisuremen for NBC Sports Radio, making the transition to Not So Fast a smooth one.
“Andrew isn’t a guy we lost touch with for four years. In fact, it’s quite the opposite,” said Pabst. “When we would go to the Super Bowl, for example, if Andrew was there too, we would always find time to hang out. The relationship never ended between us and the rest of The Dan Patrick Show.”
Not So Fast Concept
The concept for the program was born from an internal conversation between representatives of Peacock and The Dan Patrick Show. Pabst explained that during a March conference call, Peacock executives noted they wished they had a fourth hour of The Dan Patrick Show because of the success it has earned on the streaming platform.
“It happened out of nowhere without a plan. I said on this Zoom meeting we were on, ‘What if we came up with something else for the next hour?’ I wish I had a better story for how it came up,” joked Pabst. “When I drove home, I knew Andrew was available. As a producer, my wheels started turning. Wouldn’t it be great to get Andrew back and do a show? I went in the next day and talked with Dan [Patrick] and Eric Jones [director of operations, Dan Patrick Show], and we decided to go for it.”
From there, the wheels went into motion to bring Perloff back as he continued navigating his next steps following his departure from the Infinity Sports Network.
“There were a lot of podcast offers, but everyone wanted a rev share. Some of them went down the road. But when this came up, I put some legit concrete plans to the side,” said Perloff, who noted he didn’t see an immediate future on over-the-air radio following his departure from Maggie & Perloff. “There’s a lot of people I would love to work with, but doing something with Paul would have been great… This was in the works for a long time, so a big chunk of the last eight months was developing this show.”
Locking in Perloff for the project wasn’t immediate and took time. Pabst continued to keep Perloff informed of the process and any updates while Perloff received offers from other projects and outlets.
“We had a lot of momentum, but you never know till it’s locked. I was on the phone with Andrew nightly telling him we’re working on it. He had more than a few people reach out to him. If I would have lost the guy again, I would have been really bummed,” says Pabst.
Being Different With Familiar Elements
Not So Fast isn’t going to be housed far from The Dan Patrick Show studio. In fact, the studio built for the new program was previously a green room within the same facility. Pabst and Perloff plan to broadcast from the facility in Connecticut the entire time.
Their muse for the show will be influenced by ESPN programs such as Pardon the Interruption and SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. The concept is simple: Two longtime friends who genuinely have chemistry with one another debate sports topics while having fun in the process. One advantage of sharing a building with The Dan Patrick Show is having the entire facility available for content, from the basketball court to the coffee machine. Perloff calls the facility a “Disneyland for sports.”
The show doesn’t plan to be fully independent from the Patrick radio program. Both Pabst and Perloff plan to use clips from the show and have guest appearances with Dan if a topic strikes and makes the rundown.
“The show will have the DNA of The Dan Patrick Show. It’s truly a handoff from his show to our show. Little differences in the format and the tone. But this is a television show shot for television,” notes Pabst.
Dan Patrick’s Second Act
Not So Fast is a Dan Patrick Show production. In fact, the logo even includes the words “Dan Patrick presents” at the forefront. That branding is intentional and important. With Patrick’s looming retirement coming up in February 2028, the goal is to continue building projects outside the daily radio program leading up to that date.
“Dan likes being busy. Whatever he’s going to do in a year and a half, he’s going to do. But he would be building this show even if he wasn’t retiring. He likes to try new things,” explained Pabst. “There’s going to be more coming. Dan owns this building, and he’s going to max it out.”
Perloff noted the facility in Connecticut was much busier and buzzing than when he left in 2021. But his return to co-host Not So Fast with Pabst isn’t intended as a demo for what could come next in the radio program’s daypart.
“That is not on my mind at all,” said Perloff. “We want to make Not So Fast a standalone show that is independent of The Dan Patrick Show. This is just me. Whatever is going to happen with Dan from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., we’re really focused on NBC Sports Now and Peacock at noon. It really hasn’t crossed my mind at all.”
Pabst agreed, noting it would be a bad idea to build a new program while hoping for a “parlay” of sorts with the eventual end of The Dan Patrick Show. However, he also noted that plenty of possibilities remain moving forward.
“I will say this. Dan has always said if he’s having fun, healthy, and all is well with my family, why would I quit? That’s what he’s said to me since 2002. So, all of us have said, ‘Let’s make it hard for Dan to retire,’” said Pabst. “Everything and anything is in play. When you have a talent like Dan Patrick, no one wants him to ride into the sunset. I know I don’t.”
With February 2028 still approaching, both hope that if it is Patrick’s final week of programs, he has the opportunity to soak it all in. Perloff expects that week to be emotional. Even noting that the walls of the program itself insulate the amount of impact it has on the outside world.
Pabst compared Patrick’s legacy in sports radio to David Letterman’s legacy in late night. Saying the best compliment the show still receives is that it keeps listeners not just entertained, but laughing along the way. With that mindset, the hope is Not So Fast will provide the same comfort and entertainment for its viewing audience beginning today.
For Perloff, the return to Milford is about much more than a new television show. It is a return to the place where his career took shape, surrounded by the people who helped make him “McLovin” in the first place.
For Pabst, it is an opportunity to build something new without abandoning the DNA that made The Dan Patrick Show successful for so long. And for Patrick, it is another piece of a larger vision. One that extends beyond the daily three-hour program that has defined his career.
There is still plenty of time before February 2028 arrives. Maybe Patrick will retire. Maybe he won’t. It’s possibly the next chapter of the building he owns will look nothing like what anyone expects today.
But whatever comes next, Pabst and Perloff aren’t waiting for the final Dan Patrick Show to figure it out. They’re building what comes next now, taking the time to establish Not So Fast. All while carrying forward the DNA that brought them together in the first place.
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